THE FAT FAST (ATKINS)



THE FAT FAST (Atkins)
Counterintuitive as it may sound, if you can’t budge the scale on Induction, a few days on this regimen may allow you to break through metabolic resistance.  More Splendid Low-Carbing was written during a time that I discovered I was metabolically resistant to weight loss.  At the end of that year I was diagnosed with a thyroid problem – Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.  If you are having trouble losing weight, it’s a good idea to at least get a TSH test for starters to make sure your thyroid is working well. Many folks are hypothyroid without realizing it and it can really play havoc with one’s weight.  If you find you are hypothyroid, then you would need other tests like a thyroid antibody test to see if it is an autoimmune disease or if it is just simply a sluggish thyroid.

Certain individuals are so metabolically resistant that only more intense dietary restrictions prove successful.  Once medications, thyroid problems and candida are brought under control, almost all overweight people who diligently adhere to the Atkins diet will lose and keep off weight, but for a small group of people, more extreme measures are necessary.  I knew of a few people who lost over 100 lbs using the Fat Fast and cycling with slightly higher carbs and lower fat.

To help these metabolically resistant people (I was one of them), Dr. Atkins modified what he called “the most effective weight-loss eating pattern ever described.”  British researchers Alan Keckwick and Gaston Pawan developed it and Frederick Benoit and his team confirmed its superiority in burning off fat, compared to an absolute total fast.  This extreme diet consists of 1,000 calories daily, comprised of 80 to 90% of fat.  No other weight-loss regimen has matched its ability to burn off stored fat.  Dr. Atkins modified the Kekwick diet to make it as enjoyable as possible and dubbed it the “Fat Fast.”  I personally took the challenge a little further and introduced a few more things we could enjoy on the fat fast in More Splendid Low-Carbing.  The late Dr. Atkins tried it on many of his patients and found it often worked when all else had failed. 

The Kekwick diet forces the body into lipolysis so that it burns its stores of fat.  Lipolysis cannot take place if there is a significant source of glucose.  Since all carbohydrates and any excess protein is converted to energy in the form of glucose, eliminating almost everything but fat from the diet forces even the most resistant body into lipolysis.

My experience:  I would actually gain weight if I went over the 1,000 calorie limit, so I relied heavily on Fit Day to calculate my intake.  Over a period of 3 days, my scale weight would usually drop 2 lbs.  I doubt it was all real weight, but it was good to finally see the scale drop.  These days I have less of a problem losing weight although it is much easier for me to maintain than lose weight.  My thyroid is also much better.  I cannot take thyroid hormone without becoming hyper.  If anyone wants to know more, feel free to email me.  I am in remission for Hashimotos Thyroiditis!  Praise the Lord!

You could divide your day into frequent (i.e. five) tiny meals of 200 calories each and you will find you will not experience hunger – boredom, perhaps (my book can help relieve that), but not much hunger.

WARNING:  Dr. Atkins warned that if you can lose normally on Induction then the Fat Fast could be very dangerous as you would most likely lose weight too fast and you could develop a dangerous electrolyte imbalance.